Comments on: Friday Picture: Have your coral and eat it, too?

By: OH, FOR THE LOVE OF SCIENCE! » Blog Archive » Carnival of the Blue #27: The Vacation Edition

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:33:47 +0000

[...] Etnoyer, of Deep Sea News, asks if you can have your coral and eat it, too? Ah, the difficulties in demonstrating sea star predation on deep-sea [...]

By: Kevin Z

Kevin Z — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:31:11 +0000

These images are beautiful and so clear too! Interesting to see Eumunida picta on the rock and not the coral in the lower image. I wonder if they are offended by the urchin’s presence.

By: Peter

Peter — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:28:36 +0000

Thanks for the clarification, Chris. I am definitely in a clouded fugue of pre-defense jitters, engaged in displacement activities like ye old blog.

Dave Pawson mentioned to me in passing once that echinoids may feed on microbial fauna that recruit to coral substrates. Does that sound right? I should have written it down. Note to self: “Always carry a note pad in the Smithsonian”.

By: ChrisM

ChrisM — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:21:06 +0000

Also…Hippasteria was first recorded feeding on deep-sea corals by Kreiger & Wing 2004
http://www.springerlink.com/content/xnh62x8r1rlagycj/

the picture you have linked there is very nice though.

By: ChrisM

ChrisM — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:17:31 +0000

I think that perhaps your PhD defense has left you in a clouded fugue.

You have confused what I said re brisingids-the starfish and the cidaroids-the sea urchins. Brisingids are suspension feeders. Can’t tell you what the cidaroids are doing.

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:48:16 +0000

I thinknit’s a fascinating possibility which requires some time on station. I’ve not seen an urchin on deep corals before, is it that uncommon or is my percieved rarity more a coincindence of my viewings?

Good thing we still have a healthy fleet of deep -sea ROVs and subs so we can loiter on station if we find a similar pairing in the future!